Yesterday (Nov. 7th), at Juanita Bay Park, while scanning through a platoon of coots and wigeons with a spotting scope, I saw what I at first thought was a mew gull, a small, lightly colored gull flying close to the water, but upon further investigation, I discovered this was not a mew gull, but a first-of-the-year Bonaparte's gull. It was sporting the typical winter plumage, with a slender, black bill (a helpful identifying feature of the Bonaparte's) , light gray wings with black primaries, a dark gray or black aural spot, and pale, pinkish legs. As we were leaving the park, I spotted the bird flying South-South-West, out of the park, but hopefully it is still nearby.


Happy birding!
Gabe